When Worlds Collide
by Lady StarFlower
Summary: "When I met you, I barely recognized the princess of Hoshido. You, an empty husk of a girl, laughing as she talked to a stranger's horse. You smiled more in one day than a whole year after the war." Leo/Sakura, in the world of FE Heroes. Where a Birthright Sakura meets a Conquest Leo, and a Revelations Ryoma plays an unwitting matchmaker.


**A/N: Happy 2017! Thanks for reading my little fics. I've been pretty obsessed with FE Heroes lately, and I've always wondered how the system worked canonically. This is sort of an exploration fic as well as a shipping one, so please enjoy it, and have a wonderful holiday!**

The gate of light envelopes her whole, and at first Sakura wonders if she's dreaming.

Then her feet touch down on smooth cobblestone instead of the earth of Shirasagi's gardens, and the air smells like magic and light. Only then does her mind consider the possibility that now, she may be in a whole new world.

She meets Kiran.

Hooded eyes twinkle at her kindly, and a soft but unshakable voice informs her of the straits that have caused her to leap across worlds. The notion sounds preposterous but something inside her likes this Kiran, this figure of steady, uncompromising bravery and trust.

And why doesn't she just admit it? The Summoner reminds her of Corrin.

She is inducted into the army with hearty gratitude, especially a chipper cleric who gleefully introduces herself as Serra from the World of Blazing. When she vigorously shakes Sakura's hands, the startled but smiling Hoshidan princess is reminded of a laughing, golden-haired royal with similar vivacity.

And then the guilt resurfaces-

 _Messages of a royal funeral_

 _A dead girl_

 _A too-young king who refuses to weep_

Serra yelps a little when Sakura clenches her fingers too tightly. "What a grip! You all right there, Sakura?"

Sakura forces a smile and ducks her head quickly, hiding the sudden paleness of her face. "J-just fine, Serra. I think I'm just nervous…" 

Maybe here, in this world of worlds, she can forget the coldness of the victory Hoshido had won.

O.O

In this world, it's snowing, and Serra refuses to let Sakura leave the warmth of the great hall without at least a veritable cocoon of shawls and blankets. By the time she finally stumbles out into the snow-dusted air of the courtyard the long arm of the sun is racing for the horizon, like how the thief Gaius reaches for sweets.

Sakura revels in the snow. Even though it's about the peak of summer time back in her world, it rarely snows this heavily in Hoshido, and here the drifts are up to her calves. She trudges happily through the icy piles, her breath exiting her mouth in errant puffs.

"Sister?"

The voice is deep and male. Sakura nearly falls over her own feet. She recognizes that tone with a gleeful squeal. "Ryoma!"

Her older brother laughs heartily as she flies into his arms, his strong arms holding her up easily as she slips on the icy ground. "To think I would find you in this world!"

"I'm so glad you're here!" Sakura squeezes her brother's torso tight, his warm armor pressing into her cheek. That's going to leave a mark later but right now she couldn't care less. "Did Kiran summon you here too?"

"Yes. It was quite a shock really." Ryoma laughingly peels her off of him, but he tightens his grip around her small hand. "I was right in the middle of the diplomatic meeting with King Xander when the portal opened. I hope my sudden absence didn't cause too much of a fuss there."

Sakura freezes. She stares up at her brother as if he'd grown another head. "W-what are you talking about? Prince Xander…"

"Prince?" Ryoma glances down at her in surprise. "He's King now, remember? You attended his coronation ceremony. We all did."

"N-no…I didn't…" Sakura whispered. "I didn't even attend his funeral…"

Ryoma drops her hand.

O.O

They talk that night. Long, and hard.

Sakura learns that in Ryoma's world, thanks to Corrin, both kingdoms had come to a peace together, fighting against a force too great for one nation to defeat alone. They had the victory, and now both Hoshido and Nohr co-exist peacefully. Both Ryoma and Xander are kings.

Ryoma's face hardens when Sakura reluctantly explains how in her world, Corrin chose to fight with Hoshido, resulting in a victory, yes, but also in the death of both Xander, the seemingly invincible heir of Nohr, as well as the sweet and merry princess Elise.

"I can't believe it…" Her brother shoves back his hair in disbelief. Serra had taken one look at him and had vanished squealing into the night, leaving the small room to Sakura and Ryoma in privacy.

"So…we are both from totally different worlds." Sakura stares thoughtfully at Ryoma. "In my world, you're king too. I…I guess that's still the same."

"Yes." Ryoma smiles at her softly. "In my world, you are actually one of the ambassadors sent to Nohr. You and Elise work together to solve agricultural difficulties. It's a common sight, Xander tells me, to see you and his little sister riding about the land, bringing life to the earth."

Sakura smiles at the image sadly. "I wish I could've seen that." Her voice is small in the even smaller room.

Ryoma reaches forward to stroke her hair. "We're still family, Sakura." His usually grave face is softened by an earnest smile. "I may not be the same Ryoma you know, but to me you're still my sweet sister. I'll do my best to keep you safe here, alright?"

"Thank you brother." Sakura beams up at him with a hint of frivolity in her eyes. "Although, I might be the one protecting you. You always charge into battle so recklessly!"

"Better I lead the fight than you!" Her brother says in an aghast tone. Sakura just laughs at him, and Ryoma lightly knocks her on the nose, grinning when she squeals.

 _Yes._ She thinks, reveling in this familiar moment of warmth. _I remember this._

 _It's beautiful._

O.O

Kiran, seeing their attachment to each other, obligingly sends them into battle together.

"In my world," Ryoma pants as he cuts down another foot soldier with ease, "You're actually the closest one to the Nohrians, in more ways than one."

"Really?" Sakura blinks at the idea, and the Pegasus rider from the World of Sacred Stones, Princess Tana, swoops from the skies with a cry of warning, "Watch your back, Sakura!"

Sakura whirls around, thrusting her staff into the air, and a stray thief clutches his chest as he crumples to the floor of the ruins, his poisoned knives clattering to the ground.

"Thank you for the warning, Princess Tana." Ryoma looks grim as he kicks the body away. "Let's fight in earnest, sister, and I will tell you more of it later!"

Sakura nods, and as Kiran shouts instructions from above them, leaps nimbly with her brother into battle.

O.O

That evening, Kiran's usual announcement rings through the mess hall with a slightly more satisfied tone to it than usual. "My friends, we have a new addition to our ranks. Please greet Prince Leo of Nohr, from the world of Fates."

Next to Sakura, Ryoma chokes on his soup.

Sakura stares at the blonde-haired prince, holding the reins of a huge horse draped in Nohrian trappings. His gaze is level, though when he meets her stare, his eyes widen the tiniest fraction. His mouth works.

"Sakura, I have to talk to you right now." Ryoma's urgent whisper in her ear jolt her back to her senses. "Right now, sister."

"King Ryoma?" The Summoner's clear voice cuts through the excited murmurs of the hall. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Ryoma looks ready to wring Kiran's neck, but he reluctantly stands to oblige. "Talk." He growls at his wide-eyed sister. "Not to him. Me. Later." And with that, he strides over to Kiran, giving warning looks to Sakura.

"Wow, that Leo fellow is quite a looker." Serra whispers loudly across the table, her eyes alight. "And did Kiran say that he was a prince? From your world? He's looking over here, my, how my heart flutters! He'll be quite a catch for any lady!"

Sakura barely registers her words, only nodding automatically to the cleric's hushed glee. Prince Leo is indeed looking over to her table, and his gaze is wary and…confused?

This is not the same Leo from home.

 _At home, her Leo is a broken shell of himself forced to shoulder the weight of an entire kingdom, a kingdom which looks to a barely grown young man to write himself into history by his acts and words alone. Every time he meets her gaze at formal meetings, she shudders at the hollowness in his empty gaze._

 _But most of all, it was his coldness that scared her the most._

O.O

Ryoma does not return that night.

"Don't fret, Princess." General Cecilia from the World of Binding soothes, her hands moving briskly over the coat of her mount. "I simply heard that Kiran and the others had to collect their best forces and strike before the sun rose. Apparently, your brother was among them."

"I…I just hope he's not too badly injured." Sakura pets the great horse's nose, her voice morose. "They don't have a healer among them, and once Lord Eliwood came back with horrible cuts."

"We just have to trust Kiran's judgement and their strength for now, lady." The older woman smiles gently at her, handing her a thinner brush than the one in her own hand. "Would you like to comb his mane? He seems to like you."

The stallion noses her, nickering as if to emphasize this point, and Sakura giggles, taking the brush. "O-Okay!"

"I'll be at the entrance if he acts up." Cecilia squeezes her shoulder, and then, like a brisk but kind wind, the Mage General's gone.

Sakura gingerly runs the comb through the snow-white hair, and the horse huffs in pleasure. "You seem happy." She beams, stroking the stallion's forehead. "And you have a little star, right there! You know, in my land, that means you're blessed."

The horse blinks at her, his eyes dark yet alight with life. He nuzzles her palm.

"Now, hold still." Sakura laughs. "I'm going to lose your comb in your mane. Goodness, you have a lot of hair. I can braid it for you, but I don't think General Cecilia would want to go into battle like that."

A clatter at the back of the stables startles her from her one-sided conversation. A noisy neigh rings through the stalls, making the other horses snort and rock their heads from side to side in annoyance.

"Settle, settle now girl! Dusk Dragon, you weren't born yesterday. Settle down." An exasperated voice carries through the stables, and Sakura blinks at the familiar voice. "Ki…Prince Leo?"

The Nohrian royal backs out of one of the back stalls, his golden hair askew and his usually neat attire rumpled in places. His expression is a strange mix between guilt and annoyance as he tugs on his mare's reins.

"Ah…Princess Sakura." His tone, however, carries affable frustration. "Forgive me for being in such a state now. It's just that inter-world travel makes Athena skittish…."

"I-I see…" Sakura smiles shakily as the great black mare snorts again, her agitated pacing rocking the wooden floor of the stables until the princess could feel the tremors in her very bones. Nohrian steeds were _huge._

"It was partly my fault, really." Leo runs his hand down the mare's forehead, soothing it, his voice deliberately slow and calming. "I didn't realize I was not alone here."

"Oh!" Sakura squeaks after a moment of realization, "I'm sorry-"

He waves away her quick apology. "The blame is not on you, Princess." Leo glances up to look at her, his eyes gleaming in the dying rays of the sun. There's something soft in them. "To be frank, this was the first time I ever heard you laugh."

A hot blush suffuses her neck. "E-Eh?"

Leo turns away, coughing into his fist. "Apologies." He mutters. "One of the other mages, Reinhardt, I think his name was, told me that the World of Fates has a rather…different situation when it comes to summoning…"

"Different outcomes, you mean." Sakura says in a quiet but clear voice. "Yes."

His gaze turns thoughtful. "Indeed." Leo disappears into Athena's stall again.

Cecilia's horse nickers, jolting Sakura back to the present, and she apologetically runs the comb through his mane a few more times. "Do you want…to talk about it?" She calls cautiously to the far end of the stable.

A heartbeat passes, and Leo emerges again, wiping his hands on a cloth. His gaze is open, not closed off and cold like how she remembers it. It's…nice.

"If you would be so kind."

O.O

"In my world, you're king."

 _In my world, you're a broken boy who has to cope with the burden of a defeated nation directly after the death of nearly all your family members. You never talk, but for that one night. You look so cold, so alone, so defeated. You wear a crown of thorns, and I see you bleed for it._

"In my world, you're still a princess. Your sister is crowned queen."

 _In my world, you're but a hollow shell of your former self. You look like a waif, an orphan, a girl left by herself in a world where flowers are trampled underfoot and burned in the fires of an unforgiving war. You no longer have the heart to cry._

They talk. But they don't say everything.

For now that was enough.

O.O

Ryoma returns with a plethora of cuts and scratches, but other than a particularly nasty tear in his shoulder, he is fairly unharmed. Princess Tana, on the other hand, is writhing on the bed in pain as an ashen Prince Innes stands rigidly as her side. Serra, who normally hums as she works, is eerily silent, muttering her enchantments with a strained voice.

Sakura, as a result, is quiet as she works on Ryoma's arm, and when he speaks, she jumps. "You talked to Leo, didn't you?" His voice is calm, and Sakura nearly drops the bottle of salve she is using for his wounds. "Um! I can explain…!"

"I'm not mad, sister, just surprised." Her brother chuckles, wincing when she begins biding the wound tightly. "Ah…that stings."

"S-Sorry, I have to tie it as tight as I can…" Sakura focuses on the bandages, the cruel but calming familiarity of red and white and skin as she speaks slowly. "I just thought…it would be nice for someone to let him know what is going on. We're the only ones from the W-World of Fates here after all…"

"That is true." Ryoma looks at her fondly, but with a hint of faint worry. "You have a very kind heart, Sakura, but take care that it doesn't become naive."

"Thank you, brother." She looks up at him with a quick smile before returning to her work. "Why…are you so concerned about him though? I thought that in your world that the Hoshidans and the Nohrians are at a peace now."

Ryoma coughs awkwardly, his eyes darting to the ceiling of the medical wing. "Er…about that…"

Sakura frowns, peering down at her older brother as she does a final quick tug on the bandages. "Ryoma?"

The tall king leans back on his supports, squeezing his eyes tight as if he's in pain. "I told you before how in my world, you grew especially close to the Nohrians out of all of us in the Hohidan royal family, didn't I?"

She nods, still puzzled as to why Ryoma's acting so odd. Serra's chanting reaches a fevered pitch, and Tana lets out a single cry before collapsing exhaustedly on her bed. Her brother murmurs something akin to a prayer of thanks.

"You were actually courting Prince Leo from my world." Ryoma sounds morosely aggrieved. "It drove Takumi near the brink of madness to allow it. But you were so happy, and he was the kindest I've ever seen him act…."

This time, she does drop the salve on the floor.

It doesn't shatter.

O.O

" _Princess Sakura."_

 _She gasps, nearly dropping her staff in shock. "Eeep! Your Majesty! Um…"_

 _King Leo stands in the hallway before her chamber door, leaning against the wall. The torchlight throws his sunken cheeks with greater relief in the dark. He's like a ghost; she thinks in disbelief. Has he been eating?_

 _His voice is harsh and quiet. "Listen well, princess. I want you and your entire procession to leave. Tomorrow. Nohr cannot tolerate your presence here any longer."_

 _She draws in a pained breath, the sound hissing along the echoing corridor. "W-What? Why?"_

" _They hate you, my people." The king straightens, his posture stiff and his thick cloak swishing on the cold floor. His expression is hard. "They clamor for your death."_

 _Sakura's heart thumps painfully in her chest. She swallows. "But…the ambassadorial meetings…?"_

" _They'll have to be postponed to a later time, when tension isn't so high." King Leo looks so tired, so weary. His crown twinkles, sword-like, in the dark. "I've already sent word to your family."_

" _But, I-I can't just leave!" Her voice rings desperate in the hall. "I have a duty to perform!"_

 _A thin, wry smile twists his face. "Princess, your courage is admirable, but foolhardy. If you stay, then at this time tomorrow your retainers will find an arrow in your throat. If you thwart your assassins, then your meal will be poisoned the following evening. It will never end, this cycle of death._

" _Even my sister wishes you gone." King Leo's jaw tightens. "You remind her of Elise. Flitting about with that damned stave, beautiful and full of light…" His fists clench, and he chokes._

 _Sakura breaths in sharply as his hand reaches unconsciously forward, his fist closing around nothing but air. Leo shudders violently before he suddenly erupts._

" _LEAVE! LEAVE! Go, tonight if you have to!" His shouts ring through the air as she darts to her door, shaking with terror as she fumbles with the lock. Shadows unpeel themselves from the wall in the form of the screaming king's retainers, the grim-faced men gripping their liege's shoulders and heaving him back. Even as Sakura flies into her room, slamming the door shut, she could still hear his cries._

" _Leave, and do not look back!"_

 _Curled against the wooden door, she sobs._

O.O

"It's just a scratch, really. I'm fine."

"You're bleeding all over the floor, for Ashunera's sake. Get one of the rose-haired girls to take care of that. We'll be moving out soon."

"Lord Ike, one of them is a princess. I would appreciate it if you address royalty by their proper titles, including this prince here."

"Now see here, _Lady_ Clair, your title does not determine how good of a person you are, and that's especially applicable to yourself-"

"Is anyone here injured?" Sakura breaks into the conversation, her tremulous voice somehow cutting through the bickering of heroes who possess enough sheer strength to make one dizzy.

They look at her, their clouded brows clearing. "Ah, Princess Sakura." Lady Clair performs something akin to a curtsy in her battle gear atop her snowy Pegasus. "Yes, I believe Prince Leo here has a bit of blood loss going on."

"I'm fine." Said prince grits out through clenched teeth, his face white. He's clutching his shoulder though, and Sakura can see a shiny wetness around his armor.

Lord Ike scoffs. "The definition of 'fine' seems to be synonymous with the word 'bull-headed' now. Go with her, Prince Leo. I'll ask Kiran if Lord Reinhardt can cover your spot."

Leo begins to protest, but then lets out an ungainly squawk once Sakura firmly takes hold of Athena's reins. "What in Dusk Dragon's name are you doing!"

"Y-You're bleeding heavily." She replies timidly but with conviction, leading the horse on towards the castle. "It's not a deep cut, but I can't let you into the battle like that!"

"By the devil, you're a persistent one, aren't you?" Leo mutters moodily, but he quiets down once he sees Sakura moving on determinedly regardless. He tries again. "At least let me quarter her."

Sakura looks behind her with a wary expression. "You l-look like death. No. I'll ask Stahl to help; he's g-good with horses."

Leo sits back, his eyebrows raised. He doesn't protest for the remainder of the trip to the hospital wing.

It's awkward, really, to have the prince that your brother said that you were practically engaged to in another world leaning on your shoulder as you help him into the healing room, with him in the dark and you painfully aware of every hot breath on your shoulder.

But Sakura's been through a war. She can deal with this. Surely she can.

O.O

"In my world, I've only spoken with you once after the war."

Leo isn't looking at her, his gaze focused on something out on the castle gardens through his window.

Sakura, quietly changing the bandages on his arm, watches his face as he speaks. Something distant is playing in his eyes, something dark but not with the same bleakness as in her own world.

"You were talking about the cherry trees on your ground. How the way their petals floated through the air was no different than the way ash flew through the air." Leo looks back at her, his face shaken but calm. "A few weeks later, I heard that you tried to take your own life."

Sakura's hands still on his arm.

"You survived though." Leo's free hand fists gently in his loose robes before he relaxes. "Although you never were quite the same girl as before."

A beat of silence passes before Sakura exhales softly. "That's awful."

"I know." The prince's voice is quiet. "You were so…hollow. Like you've lost the will to live. You tried to hold on for the sake of your sister, but the loss of two brothers…"

Sakura shudders at the thought. Just now, Ryoma had gained permission to officially leave the hospital wing, and he had impulsively thrown her into the air with a laugh as thanks. It was a horrible thought to think that in another world, he would never be able to perform such an act with her. And even fiery Takumi, with his spiky personality and explosive temper, the idea of him stilled by the pallor of death…it was too terrible to even contemplate.

"Look at you." Leo's eyes are dark in the torchlight. "Just the idea has you shaken."

"I-It's horrible!" Sakura blurts, her hands clenching her roll of bandages in a vise-like grip. "My family…torn apart like that…I can't imagine t-that!"

He's silent for a while, and Sakura wonders if she had said something to offend him. Before she could ask however, Leo suddenly begins talking very fast and earnestly, his voice getting more and more admiring as he speaks.

"When I met you, I barely recognized the princess of Hoshido. You, an empty husk of a girl, laughing as she talked to a stranger's horse. You smiled more in one day than a whole year after the war. I saw you with the wounded, tending to them with a fervor hard to look away from. I saw you weakening the enemy because you did not have the heart to kill them in cold blood, and yet you did not look away from death. Standing there, waving your wand, you were a mesmerizing sight…"

Sakura breathes in sharply once she realizes that his face was now a mere hair's breadth away from hers. She sees the realization that flashes through his eyes at the exact same time, and she hears the hissing of breath between his teeth. She suddenly feels very warm, like she's tingling all over.

"You look like a dancing flame." His breath brushes her mouth. "Beautiful." His fingers gently, cautiously, graze her cheek and he traces the curve of her mouth. She all but melts at the touch.

He brushes his lips over her forehead, the feather-light pressure like a brand.

"Promise me something." Leo murmurs. She breaths something that sounds like a faint "yes."

"When you return to your world…" He's drawing his hand through her hair, slowly, gently. "Promise me that you will not let the Leo of your world sink into despair. Show him that light does exist, and will only shine ever brighter in times of utter night."

Sakura timidly reaches up to press her palm against the ridge of his hand, her tiny hand barely covering his. "I….I'll promise if you do the same for the me in your world." Her voice is small but firm. "She sounds so sad, and so alone…"

He entwines his fingers through hers. "I will, Princess. I swear it on Brynhildr."

O.O

Living in Askr is like living in a waking dream.

Sakura heals countless wounds, and she laughs with Serra and later Maria, and Kiran teaches her how to heal faster and deeper, and Sakura is infinitely grateful for the time she has spent here.

But eventually, she starts to realize that here, she doesn't age no matter how long she lives here, and though the seasons change and people come and go, everyone stays the same age as when they entered the world through the Breidablik.

"It'll be odd, won't it?" Ryoma says to her one day as they're talking in the great hall, resting after a particularly stressful battle. "Going home having learned nearly a year's worth of skill, and yet being the same exact age."

"S-Some of the others thinks that's a benefit." Sakura nods at the others soldiers in the hall, laughing as they compare swords and lances.

Ryoma smiles. "It's truly beneficial in a way." He pauses. "I do wonder what's happening back home though. I wonder if time works differently here. It's been almost a year here, but will I return to the same council meeting with Xander, or will I return a year later?"

"You're being really thoughtful today." Sakura giggles, and her brother ruffles her hair in retaliation.

"Better I talk to you than Leo, eh?" His voice is playful, and he pinches her rapidly reddening cheek. "I'm teasing, sister. I've already accustomed myself to the fact that you are happier by his side. Takumi, on the other hand…" Ryoma shakes his head with amusement. "He would rather swallow a frog than admit it."

Sakura laughs, and ducks her head.

"I miss them." She admits, and her brother's face softens. "I do too. But it won't be long now."

Kiran calls for them.

She agrees with Ryoma. It won't be long at all.

O.O

She stands before the gateway, light and wind caressing her face.

"Thank you so much, Sakura." Kiran's eyes gleam as usual underneath the gilded hood, bright and thankful. "You've taken so much on your shoulders for all of us."

"I-I've learned a lot!" Sakura grips her staff tightly, a smile spreading over her face. "I should thank you for all the skills you taught me. I wouldn't be the same person I am today!"

Kiran nods, smiling gently at her. "Safe travels home, Princess."

Ryoma, Serrra, and Leo then step forward after Kiran, waiting for their personal times to say farewell. Others such as Cecilia, Lord Ike, and Lady Clair wave at her as she waves timidly back, calling good wishes and blessings on her journey home.

"Be careful, alright?" Serra wipes furiously at her eyes with her gloves, blinking fast. "May St. Elimine guide your path home, Princess!"

"Call me Sakura, please." Sakura smiles at her, and then the cleric finally bursts into tears, gripping Sakura in a tight embrace, sobbing hard into her shoulder.

Ryoma has to fight to look like his usual foreboding self. "Safe travels, sister." His voice is suspiciously gravely, and he clears his throat several times. "Tell them I give them my greetings."

Sakura holds him tight. When she feels his armor again digging into her cheek, she presses herself tighter against Ryoma. When she pulls away, Ryoma chuckles and traces the indent on her face. "Farewell, Sakura."

When Sakura turns shyly to the prince of Nohr, Leo takes both her hands and begins murmuring an enchantment before she can say anything. Before her eyes, a verdant sprig of cherry blossoms unfurls in her hands.

"Consider it a gift." Leo folds her fingers over the branch, smiling a little. "Think of our promise, alright?"

"I will." Sakura smiles, and then her eyes widen. "Wait! I don't have anything for you-"

"Your smile is enough." Leo flushes slightly. "I also have the scar from when you healed me…despite what you might think, I consider it a gift." He touches the spot on his arm, now sheathed with black armor.

"Go in peace, Princess Sakura." He lets go of her hands with a last squeeze.

Kiran raises the Breidablik, calling something in a clear voice, and the last thing Sakura sees is the light in Leo's dark ochre eyes.

O.O

" _Princess Sakura? I thought I made it clear to leave for your homeland yesterday."_

" _My apologies, King Leo. I thought it best that I stay a little longer."_

" _You're a fool."_

" _I'm sorry if you think that way, your Majesty. But I-I refuse to cower before just the notion of a threat!"_

 _King Leo smiles. A bitter smile, but a smile nonetheless._

" _By the devil, you're a persistent one, aren't you?"_


End file.
